


I. Army of One | II. Highwind

by velithya



Category: Final Fantasy XIII
Genre: Gen, this wasn't supposed to be so depressing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-06-07
Updated: 2012-06-07
Packaged: 2017-11-07 03:51:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 715
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/426637
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/velithya/pseuds/velithya
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lightning's fifteen; Fang's eleven. It's not their birthdays.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I. Army of One | II. Highwind

**Author's Note:**

> Written for 2011 birthday prompt: Aging/Coming of Age. Spoilers for character backstory.
> 
> Originally posted to [Fang-Lightning](http://fang-lightning.dreamwidth.org) dreamwidth and livejournal communities on 13th June 2011.

**I. Army of One**

She's fifteen. It's not her birthday; that was weeks ago now, long forgotten. She's in the kitchen, curled in as small a ball as she can manage, the tiles cold against her bare arms. It's cold because it's late; she's not sure what time, exactly, but it's dark, has been dark for a while, and Serah is upstairs asleep.

She feels drained, exhausted, like she could melt right into the tiles and just drift away, soak into nothing. It's better than the alternative - tomorrow is another day she'll have to face, another day at school with everyone staring, whispering behind their hands.

But she can't just melt away, as much as she'd like to - can't let her mind wander, can't run - can't do anything but be here, in the present, because she's not just responsible for herself, now. She has Serah. And Serah needs someone to look after her - someone to put food on the table, someone to help her with her school work, someone to make sure she's okay.

She curls tighter on the tile. She would cry, but her tears are gone; she's been crying for days, and now she just feels empty. Now she just feels small.

She's fifteen, Serah is twelve, and their mother is dead.

 

**II. Highwind**

She's eleven. It's not her birthday; that's in the summer, when the wind is warm and the flowers are in bloom, more colours than she can imagine, stretching out on a carpet of green as far as she can see. It's winter now, and the wind is cold, howling in from the ocean and carrying the deep chill with it. The orphanage isn't draughty, but the wind is loud, and on nights like this it can go for hours. Sometimes she likes to steal outside, run through the streets to the ocean stairs, or the jetty if she can manage it, and stand with her arms out and her eyes closed and just breathe. She likes the feel of the wind tearing through her, hair streaming back from her face in a wave, like she could let go of gravity and ride the wind if she wanted. But that's not for tonight; she couldn't go tonight, even if she wanted.

Last night, the new girl had slept on the other side of the room; tonight, she's curled in close to Fang's side, thick woven blanket covering both of them. She's tiny; not just small, because Fang's pretty tall for eleven, but thin too, legs and arms all bony and green eyes too big for her face. She knows that her name is Vanille, that she's nine years old, and that she's from the Dia clan; she knows that her family is dead. 

Fang is from the Yun clan, but there's more to it than that, even if she knows she doesn't understand everything it entails. Because Fang is _from_ the Yun clan but Fang _is_ the Yun clan, and that means that she's the leader - and Vanille might be from the Dia clan but she doesn't have anyone to take care of _her_ , because in the same way that Fang _is_ the Yun clan, Vanille _is_ the Dia clan. She doesn't have anyone else.

Fang's had a lot of time to think, tonight - Vanille might be tiny but she's heavy, and Fang's not used to sleeping with someone else right there (at least not someone else she couldn't kick away) and the wind tonight is singing to her blood, keeping her awake. She's decided that it doesn't matter if she's _Yun_ and Vanille's _Dia_ \- they can make their own clan too, and then Vanille won't be alone, and Fang can take care of her properly.

She's got a plan and everything - she'll take Vanille to the meadow in the morning, the one with the waterfall, where Fang has made a little cairn for her clan. She's not good with names, but she doesn't think this needs a name - not yet, anyway, and she's sure she'll think of a good clan name later, if they need one. But she'll give Vanille some of her bracelets, and Vanille can give her one of her necklaces, and their ancestors can stand as witness.

Fang's eleven, Vanille's nine, and they're not alone anymore.


End file.
